Some Google I/O Highlights; iPhone X Plus Will Be Sized like iPhone 8 Plus; Twitter’s Unlaunched ‘Secret’ Messages

There was a lot to unpack at the keynote for Google I/O today, but here are a few highlights. It was announced that Android P will not only add gestures like the iPhone X has, but will use AI to predict what apps you’ll use in the near future. In addition, according to cnet.com, Google claims to save battery life with ‘adaptive brightness’ to control the screens brightness level based on your surroundings. for Gmail, they announced Smart Compose…which also uses AI to predict what you will write and suggests common phrases. Smart Compose should roll out in the next few weeks, but you can access it now by hitting ‘experimental access’ in your settings menu.

Google Assistant has gotten more conversational and smarter…it will now listen for up to 8 seconds, so you don’t have to keep saying ‘Hey, Google’ or ‘OK Google!’ Google Routines now allows you to design your own routines that launch simultaneous commands, much like Apple HomeKit Scenes. Before long, you will be able to order food for takeout or delivery on Android phones. Assistant now has 8 voices to choose from, including John Legend’s.

The upcoming iPhone X Plus, or whatever they end up calling the model this fall will be the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus…but with a 6.5 inch screen instead of the 8’s 5.5 inch screen! 9to5mac.com reports that the new king sized Apple hero phone will also be somewhat thicker, due to a reported larger camera sensor and larger lens. That tidbit comes by way of Macotakara. Both successors to the iPhone X will get horizontal Face ID unlock.

There is apparently a ‘secret conversation’ option hidden in Twitter’s Android app, that you could use to send encrypted direct messages. Techcrunch.com says the feature could keep users within Twitter instead of jumping over to Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp for secure, private messages. Twitter had no comment about the feature, or if it would become available, but since it’s been coded and included, they could take it live, and hold on to those people needing secure private messaging, instead of losing those eyeballs to others.